Unknown now
by darling devil
Summary: Unknown girl. Unknown light. Unknown reason for the known end of the world? It's a bad thing that he's so curious... KurKag
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Vines bound her limbs and she fell back on her back. She fell into the trap easily. He walked towards. He couldn't see her face but he did see her mop of wild black hair. She uttered a string of words glaring at him but he didn't notice any of that. He was fully intending to get what he wanted. He leaned in on her, lips hovering over her ear. He whispered softly turning on the charm and carefully distracting her with his hands. No one could stop him. He was master of this art.

A smirk grew on his face… a smugness that seemed right at that time but alien to him now somehow. This was all child's play… he didn't even why he was playing. He glided his fingers of one hand along her cheek bone giving a ghostly touch. He slowly reached her neck. It was in his hands and she didn't even realize. A few vines grabbed the little bottle and retracted into his sleeve. He took a deep breath inhaling her sweet scent. Maybe this wasn't all for nothing.

She would be far lost in the kitsune charm. The wines on her hands slowly let go of their charge. Golden eyes moved to look into her hazy eyes. He would take her, a conquest like no other. But what he saw was a blue storm seconds before he was thrown back in air….

Kurama woke up sweating… a memory, Youko's most likely. He moved to the washroom to splash some water over himself.

"_What's wrong Red"_ asked his silver headed alter ego.

"**That dream… some memory of yours…"** he answered

"_What dream? You were sleeping dreamlessly"_

He replayed the dream in his head to show the youkai wondering how he missed it.

"_This isn't my memory. Though it seems like something I would do, he seems to control plants, has my charm, he is not me."_

"**Not the time for your jokes fox. Keep your memories to yourself for now, I have a test tomorrow"** he was a bit annoyed now.

"_Honestly Red. There was no dream and I would remember something like that. It's a little late for pranks too."_

"**Whatever."** He didn't if he wanted to believe him or not. A voice at the back of his head said, this is not the kind of joke the fox would play. He shut the extra voice up. One permanent one was enough. He went back to bed but it was a while before sleep claimed him.

Far away in another world, a tall beam of light flickered alerting youkai for miles around. The beam gave another flicker or two gaining the attention of more youkai.

Hey ya all! This here is my first story… The girl really isn't a surprise… It's Kagome. But the light, you might have to keep guessing.

Pls Review

Darling Devil


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Shuuichi walked briskly through the halls of his school. Girls all around turned to look at him at least once, some blushed and peeked thinking no one would notice and some flat out stared. Today was a quiet day…no one approached him. He was glad for that. He didn't want any more trouble. He already had a throbbing headache. It didn't bother him much but it irritated him on some levels. Since that dream, he was in a bad mood.

He stepped into homeroom. The class was half filled. He walked to his seat near the window. He always chose seats close to the window as it kept away his boredom and was convenient in case of an emergency. Kaito sat in front of him. He was one of the people he let close, sort of.

"You don't look too good today. Did you work late again?" he asked

"No. I just have a headache. I'll manage."

"Ok" Kaito turned to face the front.

The class was filled in a few minutes. The bell rang and the teacher walked in along with a new student. He didn't really look at the newcomer as he was closing his eyes. The students spoke softly and a quite a few girls giggled. So, it was a boy. Probably good looking with the reaction he received.

"Good morning, class. We have a new student joining us from today. Introduce yourself Taisho-san."

Taisho? Had he ever heard that name? Now curiously he opened his eyes. The boy had brownish hair, messy, green eyes similar to his own, an easy going smile and looked quite lean.

"My name is Taisho Shippo. Please take care of me." He gave the customary bow and then went to find himself an empty seat on the other end of the class as suggested by the teacher. Eyes followed him till he sat in his seat. He seemed like a normal student who got along with people around him.

The teacher began the class. Shuuichi concentrated on the lesson. The day continued smoothly after then. The math test was quite easy. He finished the paper early and headed to lunch after that. The cafeteria was empty save for a few students. He stayed away from them and took a seat in the most abandoned part of the place. As he ate, he felt a presence lingering around him.

"Hiei."

"Hn. Koenma is calling. We're leaving right now."

"Right" Shuuichi swiftly packed and disappeared into a portal glad that he chose such an isolated place.

Shippo watched as Shuuichi went into the portal. He yawned and continued the nap that he had been taking since he didn't write the test that his new classmates were taking. He wondered if he should go and introduced himself to the redhead.

Na, he'd wait for the redhead to approach him. It would be easier.

In the spirit world, the ogres ran around frantically carrying piles of paperwork. The office like place was filled to the brim with people working on the souls of the living. The spirit world super computer- the FATES which usually efficiently sorts through the souls was heated up and smoking. Hiei and Kurama walked forward ignoring all the commotion.

"Kurama. Hiei. Glad you guys made it." Botan called out. Behind her, Yusuke and Kuwabara walked towards them. "Koenma-sama is very worried. Things here have been going downhill."

Botan walked past them and opened the door to Koenma's office for them. He wasn't there.

"Koenma-sama is with Enma-sama. He will be here soon. I'll let them know you are here"

"What is this all about? It came at a good time though. The teach was giving a tough test. Keiko wasn't letting me skip the class."

"Idiot"

"What was that shrimp?"

"Hn"

"Kurama, do you know why Koenma called us?"

"No, Kuwabara. I'm not informed of the cause either."

"The makai barrier is in danger of falling apart." Came Koenma's voice.

"What?" There were three shouts of varying volumes.

"Hn" smirked Hiei.

"You knew about this, Hiei?"

"Almost all the youkai in the makai knows about it."

"Yes. That's why you are here."

"Yo toddler, you can't expect us to fight the millions of youkai in the makai. Can't you just put another barrier."

"Fool! That is not a simple feat. Besides there is no one in the three worlds who can do it."

"What! Isn't it the spirit world that put the barrier."

"Well, you see… that's a lie."

"What?" Yusuke shouted.

"The original barrier is not made by us. The responsibility to take care of it was transferred to us after the creation. We put up more protective charms to strengthen it. We lied to keep the youkai under our control."

"Hn"

"Also to protect the origin of the barrier." Koenma whispered.

Now, everyone was curious.

"The Light of Makai is the origin." Botan supplied

"The Light of Makai?" Kuwabara asked. The others had heard of it as they lived in the Makai for a while.

"It's a beam of light in the centre of the makai. It extends from the earth to the sky illuminating the heart of Makai in brilliant colors. It has been glowing for centuries and it's as old as the makai itself. It is also rumored to lead to a new world, but I doubt that is true." Kurama explained.

"Wow!"

"Ya, it's like the tourist place of Makai." Laughed Yusuke. "Perfect place to take a youkai girlfriend"

"Jokes aside Yusuke, we need to take care of the situation. The breaking of the makai barrier is no little matter. The balance of the worlds will be lost" Botan intervened.

"Ok ok… sheesh. What's wrong with the Light?"

"Everyone, look at this video" called Koenma.

On the big screen was a pillar of white light surrounded by spirals of colors. It was a peaceful sight, hard to believe that it was in the makai. It gave a sudden shudder like a candle light in a sudden gust of wind. After a moment, the screen fuzzed and then returned to normal. Again, the light flickered, longer this time. The screen became fuzzy again like a bad signal. Then, nothing…

"That's it? Just a light flickering"

"Yusuke, the signal disturbance was the barrier flickering." Kurama stated.

"Oh"

"This was the only disturbance observed. After that, the barrier went to normal. As you can see, it is only at the early stages. But hordes of youkai have started moving in the direction of the light. We have to protect the light and also try to figure out what is wrong with the light. That is your mission."

"Is there anything else?" Kurama asked.

"No. that is all for now. Keep your communicators with you at all times. Botan, transport them to makai right away. Keep your evenings free. But, in case of any developments, I'll immediately signal you." The tantei nodded.

The spirit detectives were teleported to the makai to where the light shone. As the stood on small hillock they saw the magnificent sight that was the light. In real life the light towered over them unlike the little picture on the screen. It was about a kilometer wide at least and god knew how high. Around the main silver-white beam, there was a helix of multicolored lights like a protective covering. They all stood in awe of the sight until Hiei moved forward. The others moved forward knowing that it was time to protect the makai.

AN: How is it? I know it's not too long but I'm not good at writing long chapters. If you want to imagine the light… the nearest comparison is the sands of time in Prince of Persia. I haven't really planned the story… only snippets in my head.

Also, this story is un-beta-ed as of now. So please mention any mistakes I've made so that I won't repeat it the next time.

I want you all to keep guessing… it makes reading and writing this more interesting.

Please Review (only if you think it's worth reviewing… I accept any kind of feedback)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The tantei moved towards the light. As they moved towards the light seen as nothing but a blur, some not even that much, they knew the place was not as deserted as it seemed. Thousands of low level youkai and some B level ones were around them staring at the new comers. Most of them knew the group… the hated reikai tantei.

Yusuke smirked. Being the king of the streets almost all his life meant fighting most of the time. And as one of the reikai tantei and a king of Makai, it hadn't reduced at all. Instead it made the fights all the more interesting. Most of the youkai were dumb enough to underestimate them seeing them only as humans and come at them. Today, it was going to be one of those days.

The four reached the light. Slightly nodding, each of them separated taking a place around the light and waited for the action.

The youkai who doubted that something was wrong with the barrier and that it was connected to the light got the confirmation with the arrival of the defense team of reikai. The wait was over. The makai barrier's secret would be exposed and they would take their rightful places at the top of the three worlds.

Shadows rose around the light as different apparitions appeared. Hiei had his hand on the hilt of his sword. Kurama held a seed between his fore and middle finger ready to morph into his rose whip. Yusuke and Kuwabara gathered their reiki in their palms with anticipation of the thrill of the fight ahead of them. Within seconds, the first attack was launched by the youkai on Kuwabara.

Kuwabara released his spirit sword slashing the youkai near and far transforming its size rapidly. He was obviously targeted most seeing as he was the only complete ningen among the four though he was leagues above them.

Yusuke sent dozens of demons flying with just one fist. He was still the most powerful one in respect of brute strength and reiki. Most of his opponents were reduced to dust or beaten to a pulp. The heir of Raizen was not one to mess with.

Hiei being the swiftest sliced through anyone who came at him before they even realized what was happening. He didn't even bring the jagan eye out yet the opponents before him disappeared.

Kurama, still in the human guise, also finished off his opponents with his infamous rose whip. Bodies littered the ground around him. It was then that it happened…

The fight ended in no time. The youkai who finally realized that they were no match for the detectives ran for their lives

"Hiei" Yusuke called "You want the honours?" Hiei smirked and disappeared from his position. In seconds, all the youkai were down.

Yusuke and Kuwabara went to Kurama who had gone quiet all of a sudden. He was kneeling down running his fingers on the ground.

"Whadya find Kurama?"

"This black thing; it is ash."

"Ash?"

"Yes and it's no ordinary ash either. It's purified ash."

Hiei arrived at that moment. "Hn"

"Purified?"

"Yes, youkai purified by someone with holy powers."

"So… some priest or monk did something here?"Kuwabara asked.

"Yes, possible. But they are human. No one could have come here. It must be the work of the light. It was made by someone with spiritual powers years ago. Let me just check it."

"Yeah it makes sense!"

"Shut up idiot. Don't act as if you understand what is going on." Yusuke hit Kuwabara and this resulted in a mini brawl.

"Hn. Idiots."

Kurama smiled and ignored the two. "I think the barrier must be weakening because of age. Then the only way to repair it would be for someone with spiritual powers to supplement its power." He told Hiei.

Kurama took out a seed and planted it in the ground where he was. It was an underground plant that grew towards the light. It came out a little further away behind the outer layer of the light. A thin stem grew steadily and reached for the light. The moment it made contact with the light it turned into ash. But it didn't end with that. Like a spark of lightning it hit Kurama through the link of youki. He fell back on the ground violently but thankfully broke the link.

"AH!" Kurama shouted as fire coursed through his body. Hiei was next to him in a split second but he could not touch the kitsune. Yusuke could also not touch him as he also had demon blood. It was up to Kuwabara to save him. Kurama had lost consciousness as it was like touching a 20000V source. It was a miracle that he was unharmed unlike his plant.

Kuwabara carried him as Yusuke called Botan to immediately open a portal to the spirit world. Yusuke went along with Kuwabara leaving Hiei behind as the guard.

Kurama was rushed to the healers' in reikai. He laid absolutely still in Kuwabara's arms but he was surrounded by a blue lightning sizzling from time to time. His face was scrunched, eyebrows knitted close. He was in pain.

Botan led the three to large circular room, white and had a peculiar smell (maybe like reikai version of a hospital ward). Yusuke and Kuwabara had no time to react though as Kurama was pulled out of Kuwabara's arms and they were shoved out of the room.

"It's better you both stay here." Botan told them.

There was no door to the room and looked like the inside of an igloo, white all over. Botan quickly exchanged a few words with the six healers in the room and walked out of the room too. Kurama was placed in the centre of the room and the six took their places forming a hexagon. The one farthest from them began a chant made a seal, the others followed suit in sequence completing a spiritual circle. Soon, a barrier was erected around Kurama.

"They told me his youki was decreasing steeply. His vitals are fine but he is racing inside. They'll do all they can. Kurama is in the finest hands in the whole of reikai."

"What happens if his youki dies down completely?" Yusuke asked.

"I- I'm not sure. There are a lot of possibilities. He could become an ordinary human because his demon side was purified. He could become very… very weak, maybe even weaker than a normal human because of Youko's influence on most of his bodily functions. In- In the worst case… In the worst case, he could die. If the light is made by a miko, then it's like a poison to him. He is lucky though that he didn't come in direct contact with the light."

"That's horrible!" Kuwabara exclaimed thinking how it was impossible to be the team they were without Kurama.

"He can't die!" Yusuke exclaimed. Kurama had been his first friend after he became a spirit detective, the one who supported him through his entire journey. He would have died a hundred times if it wasn't for Kurama. He would have never saved this world. He couldn't-

Botan put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder knowing how horrible he must be for him. "We should hope for the best."

AN: How many of you want to kill me? :D

I guess I'm living up to my devilish name… but seriously I hadn't planned this. My hand just went on typing. My original chapter was such that he hadn't even seen the light (no pun intended). There was actually something about Shippo and Kurama in the last chapter, but I changed the plans since it seemed too soon. So yea, this was coming from the previous chapter itself…

Uh, one more thing… about the late update… I wasn't in town for the last two weeks. I was in my gran's place where the computer doesn't work and I couldn't go to a browsing centre either and we are also shifting houses, so I had a lot of work before that, have some more too. I just came home yesterday; this is the earliest I could update. I'm really sorry and I'll update faster from now on and will let you know in advance if there's anything.

DD


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The six healers tried to separate the foreign aura from within Kurama but with his two part personality that was flickering furiously, it was hard to grab onto anything.

Though Kurama barely moved, his face was sweating due to the heat of the room, fist was clenched tight, toes firmly curled and the feet stretched a little. He was in pain. He rarely showed his pain outside which meant it was no small magnitude. Yusuke punched his fist against the wall in frustration (luckily it was no ordinary wall).

"What's taking them so long?"

"They're doing the best they can Yusuke. Be patient."

Kuwabara was oddly silent… concentrating on something. He had always been more spiritually sensitive than the other two. He felt something wrong about what had happened. At the time, they were in a hurry and he hadn't given a thought. Now that he had nothing else to do… the strange feeling creeped around him. He shivered slightly wanting to shake the imaginary chill away.

However hard he tried though, he couldn't put a finger on it.

He felt as though he had been racked. He couldn't remember though… all he wanted to do was to curl up and let his limbs ward off the cold air. Slowly, ever so slowly he felt the pain subside and the feel in his body returning. A cold gust woke him up. He was on a cliff facing the setting sun. As the red hues washed over him, he had the feeling that it was only a temporary comfort.

Dreading the nightfall, he stood up on wobbly legs. Behind him, sky turned purple-black reaching far and fast. The pain returned almost immediately, heart pounded hard in his ears. He felt as if every muscle in his turned to rock, abrasive and hard. He felt an unimaginable urge to move or remain there forever even if the only escape was the cliff ahead of him.

Down. Down. Down.

He felt the world spinning around him after he dived down. He spun harder in the air, limbs out of his control and outstretched. It was a very long fall. All the colors spun around a point right above him. The red and purple created a light pink. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened his eyes, he was no longer staring at the sky instead he saw a transparent little bottle hung on a metal chain spun casually in a little circle just above him. He was no longer falling but was lying down on a tree branch. He blinked involuntarily for a few times. The bottle had a broken jewel of the same light pink that he saw in the sky. He tried to bring it closer to himself to see what it was and it was then he realized that he wasn't in control of his body; in fact it wasn't his at all.

The reflection revealed the face of Youko every round, a face so familiar and at the same different. Shuuichi felt the face looked less cold, more curious and much younger than the Youko he knew. Instantly his mind went back to the night when he dreamt about the girl. He wondered if these were memories of Youko's youth… why had he never seen these.

Youko easily caught the bottle and brought it close to his face. Shuuichi felt Youko's intense curiosity and couldn't help but feel curious himself. What was it? He remembered that Youko had stolen that from a young girl, a miko at that. What could he want with something that belonged to a priestess?

Speak of the Devil and the Devil appears….

An arrow infused with holy ki whizzed towards him. There was no time to move but with his swift reflexes, a result of endless training, he put in some youki into the bough below him causing it to move downwards. The arrow flew just above him. Youko quickly grew some vines and in seconds he was facing the miko bound by vines for a second time. The girl was lifted into the air, her bow fell from her hands and she was left screaming at the sudden attack.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little Shikon miko? How may I help such a fine lady on this day?"

"Get me out of this trap, youkai!" she struggled in mid air.

Chuckling, he purposely let the vines loosen for a second just to hear her scream again.

"That's not what I meant!"

This time he lifted her higher into the air and then let her go completely in mid air. But before she fell he made a seat of vines on which she promptly landed with an 'oof'. He jumped off the branch to join her on the tree swing. It would have really been romantic if they had been lovers or if she didn't want to burn him to a crisp or if he wasn't just teasing her. As if he could ever love.

She came at Youko with one of her arrows. Inside, Shuuichi flinched in remembrance of the purification he'd felt near the light of Makai. But her human speed was nowhere near Youko's. The miko's arms were securely bound behind her and her quiver of arrows fell to the ground like her bow.

"I don't make the same mistake twice." Youko told the miko seriously.

"Give me the Shikon back." She said equally seriously.

"This little trinket?" Youko lifted the glass jar to her face. "I don't think so." He continued as he pulled it away from her as she struggled in her binds.

"I'll kill you if I have to."

"So says the little helpless girl."

"I'll show you helpless, youkai!" the girl freed herself by purifying the vines around her wrists and came at Youko. This time though, Youko didn't stop her with vines instead he caught her by the wrists and pushed the hands behind her such that he completely surrounded her, faces a hair's breath apart.

"You have no idea who you are messing with, do you?" Youko whispered looking right into her eyes. She didn't have to answer for Youko to know that she had no clue as to who he was. He brought one hand to her face while he held her hands hostage with other hand. He slowly dragged his knuckles on the side of her face. He closed his eyes for a second

A sudden scream a little behind them caused the girl to turn almost involuntarily but Youko held her face in place as the screams continued behind them.

"Don't be fooled by what you see." Youko told the girl, dipping a finger under her chin as she tried to put a gap between them. "But I will let you live."

"Why?"

'She is a wise girl. Youko would never give anything without wanting something in return.' Shuuichi thought. Youko, like most powerful youkai had a very beautiful, humanoid appearance, especially since he was a kitsune. There were a lot of human girls who fell for illusion. 'But then, she is foolish for a miko, walking up to a youkai with minimal defenses.' Silently, he wondered who the girl was or why he never knew anything about these memories.

Youko stared for a few moments before giving an answer that confused both Shuuichi and the girl… "Who else am I going to return this broken piece of junk to?" he asked referring to the Shikon no tama.

He then left her staring at the corpse of the oni he had sensed earlier and released a death plant upon. Hollow eyes and wrapped in the death plant which had unnaturally beautiful flowers, Kagome felt horrified and surprised at the same time. Who was this youkai?

**NOTE: I am extremely sorry about the re post. I realized today morning that there was a change that I had forgotten to make in the chapter.**

AN: Yaay! Youko finally comes in! :D And for the people who asked… Kagome!

Does anyone have any questions btw…? I'm open to these things. I've got a good idea as to why Youko took the shikon in the first place… I was actually having a bit of a block on that.

I also want to know if you are wondering where I'm heading with this story… If you are, I'm taking it to the end of the world :D. But I have no idea how to end this… totally blank! Suggest things if you can… please, some nice instances I can put in the story or what can be the climax.

The story won't actually be in the past… It'll be in the future itself.

The Story will continue for a while without Kagome though.

Review Replies:

Cosmic-lover: Thank you… Kurama is definitely OK… but I don't have to tell that anymore.

xXkUmiKoXx: Thank you

kuugen: Thank you. Technically, Kagome is in the chapter. The 'fixing' of Kurama is still a secret for now. Btw… does this sound too much like Harry Potter…with the dreams and all that. I really hope not.

DD


	5. Chapter 4

Hiei stood on a tall narrow stone, a white strip of cloth in left hand and sword in right, perfectly balanced. He stood still letting the gentle breeze causing the slightest of motion. On his forehead, his jagan eye looking troubled behind closed lids, searching continuously for the disturbance that swirled just outside the reach of Hiei's senses.

Since the time the detectives had left him, he hadn't faced any strong opposition, only some fools who had ventured close to the light. Some had died at his blade's edge and some due to the reiki of the light; but in the past hour, the jagan eye had sensed some powerful presence but had been unable to locate the source. It seemed to spread all around him, enveloping him but never truly existing. He could not feel the tendrils of the spirit that is unique to all creatures. It seemed like wild and unknown magic, free of identity… but such a thing was impossible.

Hiei wondered more than once if it was the light playing with his senses but the answer was clear, the magic of the light had a uniqueness of its own level, unlike any human, youkai or spirit he had ever encountered, but identifiable. This magic that now surrounded him though had no identity. The strangest fact, though, was that he felt a connection with the magic. He felt that it was very similar to his own, even excited him. It also filled him with a sense of foreboding, though the nature was not as such.

Hiei simply could not understand this magic.

Hiei was still a very young demon compared to the scores of youkai who had seen centuries. He was born within the makai, a world created recently in the history of the land. Even Kurama was at least twice as old as him, maybe even thrice. Physical age had never mattered among the youkai as they were a race that could surpass ages. It was the skill that a youkai achieved that consolidated one's rank in the makai. Hiei had pride in his skills and knowledge that he attained due to his own unique nature as forbidden child and his Jagan eye.

The spirit detective was an example of how age didn't matter. He was a mere youngling of not even two decade's age but had accomplished feats that were beyond his years. After all, it took centuries to gain power equal to the three kings of makai. Yusuke's instincts were very good and so was his luck, Hiei had thought on many occasions. Yusuke lacked the patience and experience that the older youkai had. Yusuke would continue to grow stronger though, as he had demonstrated in the last 4 years.

The wind steadily picked up around the light. Some of the demons, who had ventured close to the light in the time Hiei hadn't bothered with them, ran back. The light suddenly convulsed. The colossal pillar shook. There was a powerful wave of energy that spread to the ends of Makai and not more than a few moments later, the barrier also fluctuated.

Hiei stood, not disturbed by any of this. He felt a spike in that strange energy. Whatever that energy was had been causing this and it was not over. Hiei opened his eyes and disappeared, appearing at the point where the spike had been the strongest. It wasn't over as the presence around him had only grown stronger. As he predicted, the light shook again, more violently than last time.

Hiei stuck the sword into the ground to avoid being blown away by the force as the wind around the light was spinning violently. All the demons within a few miles to the light began running, some towards and some away. The youkai must have realized the presence of the strange magic now that it was overbearingly apparent. Sparks erupted from the light where Hiei stood and the ground shook under him. A loud burst of energy left the youkai with numb ears covered the ground in a cloud of dust.

Koenma was pacing in his office. Kurama was one his best and losing him would be a huge loss, but more than that now, he was worried about Youko. He knew that Youko was no ordinary bandit in Makai, he was more than that. It was a secret he would have to take to the grave for a spell bound every tongue that had the knowledge of the fox's past.

King Enma had called him earlier to take Kurama off the case immediately so as to not risk the situation going out of hand. His father had been right to want to keep the fox as far from the light as possible. He hadn't expected that even a slight proximity to the light would cause such a violent reaction. He had taken Kurama believing the team would be handicapped without the quick thinking redhead.

Warning bells blared all around the spirit world office

"KOENMA-SAMA!" George burst into room making the prince jump out of his diapers.

"You stupid ogre!" Koenma shouted at George and yanked the papers in his hands "What is it?" he said as he scanned the report

"WHAT? You have got to be joking!"

"But Koenma-sama! The report…"

"Hiei can't just disappear!"

"His future just disappeared… that can only mean one thing, Koenma-sama!"

"The detectives have faced worse fates…I'll send Yusuke to investigate immediately…"

Kurama watched silently pondering where Youko was headed to. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation with the miko, he had distinctly felt Youko take a firm decision about something. Youko blurred through forests and clearings heading south east and as far as Kurama could tell it was probably the reason for this trip.

Youko went through some particularly thick parts of a forest and emerged out on the edge of a large lake with choppy dark waters. There was an island along the horizon of the lake but no boat in sight. Kurama felt something off with the place.

Kurama soon felt the familiar strands of kitsune magic covering the whole lake. He was at Youko's home. Youko ran on the water, at least that's what it looked like. He was actually running on the essence of the magic, pushing himself forward with his own magic. The lake was a fortress of magic, keeping intruders out with layers of powerful charms that could be treacherous to any unsuspecting person.

Youko reached the island in a few seconds. An entrance opened and two guards bowed at the entrance of the cave like structure. Youko simply walked in. the moment he walked through the door, he passed the illusion, seeing the castle in it's true splendor.

In the midst of lush gardens stood a citadel, gray, stony but intricately carved with designs Kurama knew were more than they looked like. He saw kitsune everywhere, young and old, of almost every element there could be. As Youko walked forwards, the front of the citadel came into view; a waterfall fell from a side of the entrance creating a glimmering sheen of water, no doubt a trick of the kitsune of the water clan. The castle had all the elements of the kitsune but not quite in display. He had heard of this legendary abode of the kitsune. He also knew not many could claim to have ever seen this secret place which had disappeared centuries ago.

Youko waltzed through the main gate, past the sentry into the castle. As Youko moved through the courtyard, many youkai bowed low and some whispered as if in wonder. Kurama carefully noted some of things he saw in his head but Youko simply ignored everyone's presence choosing to just walk forward. As he entered the castle, he felt a presence behind him. Youko turned in time to see another kitsune wearing dark colored clothes, mostly black but had one of the palest skin tones Kurama had ever seen.

"Youko-sama, your chambers are prepared. Is there anything else you want me to do?" the pale kitsune said in a soft voice.

"I want an audience with the lord as soon as you can arrange it, Kuora"

"Hai, Youko-sama" Kuora answered and his presence immediately vanished. Kurama deduced that Kuora was probably a shadow kitsune, an almost extinct species in the modern world. He couldn't help but wonder again what happened to all this. Did they still live in the makai? Or had something happened? He racked his brains harder to try and remember any past references to this place.

Youko headed to wherever the corridor led. The corridor was emptier now. Kurama sensed Kuora's presence again

"My prince, your father will see you tomorrow, the hour before sunset in his chambers."

"Very well. I will meet him then" Youko's voice was cold, as cold as he remembered as a lord of the thieves, but only for that moment.

Kurama did not find it hard to believe that Youko was the prince of foxes; he was a royal in every fibre of demeanor. It did arouse questions though. Why had Youko kept all his from him?

The very next instant, he was brought out of his thought by a ball of fire that headed straight to Youko's head. Youko extinguished the ball with no more effort than a simple blink of his eye. He raced forward towards the source and pinned the person to a wall.

A beautiful vixen blond haired and crimson eyed smirked back at him. She craned her neck forward and kissed him on the cheek

"Welcome back aniki"

Kurama woke up with a gasp as the healers finally separated the foreign entity from his body.

"Please…" he groaned out but could say no more. Botan came forward to hug him.

"We were all so worried Kurama"

He frowned wondering what happened.

"Oh, are you wondering where the others are? They had to go back to the light of makai. Koenma-sama ordered them to go there."

Kurama tried to sit up but collapsed back. No, he wasn't thinking about the others. He was thinking about Youko.

"I'm sorry I have to break it to you now, but you are taken out of this case."

That statement affected him more than he expected. Did he care so much about this mission? More importantly, what did Koenma know?

AN: A long time no doubt. I have reasons but I feel it is best I don't give any but accept it as a fault.

Hope you like the chapter though. Please feel free to review. I accept even flames as a way to better my work.

Review replies:

Cosmic-lover: hey thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked my chapter and that the portrayal was not ooc. It makes sense for them to share a past and more dramatic.

The KumiKo: Thanks for your review and I'm glad my portrayal did not go ooc.

Scrawny Scrivener: thank you for your review. Hope you enjoy reading my story

AKARY YAMI : Thank you for your review and your suggestion. At first I didn't know if I could implement it but I think I got a way to do so. It's not completely the same though


	6. Chapter 6

Unknown Now

Chapter 6:

Kurama was lying on the hospital bed staring at the ceiling. The constant beep was the only noise in the ward that he was staying. His human mother, Kaoru (Shiori…?) was sleeping on a spare bed in the room.

Koenma cooked up a lie that Shuuichi got electrocuted severely when he stepped on a puddle where a damaged live wire had fallen near the school grounds. A fake story that a fellow student had saved him and managed to get medical help was created. Kaoru(Shiori?) had been worried sick about him stood by him in the hospital room and had finally slept in exhaustion after dealing with all the things at the hospital.

He was being kept under observation for a day, not that the machines could actually help him. So, here he was staring at the ceiling thinking about the dream or vision or memory he had witnessed when in the spirit world. He couldn't feel the presence of Youko in his self, as if suppressed somehow. Botan assured him it was a consequence of the purification.

The oddly 'voiceless' back of his head seemed to create a void and a feeling of helplessness. He couldn't believe that dream though. It could not have been real and could not have been Youko's past because some things were impossible. The apparel that the miko was wearing was something no traditional miko would ever wear and more importantly it was a school uniform belonging to the modern era and so could not exist 500 years in the past. Time travel was no easy affair either. Someone as unskilled as that miko would never be able to pull it off.

Also, Youko did not have a sister. He knew Youko's past since Youko's past was in a way his own. He could pick out so many such things he had noticed.

So, the dream definitely cannot be real.

It was just a dream, an unnatural mix of his experiences in the demon and human world.

That left questions though. Dreams were significant in a way. He wondered what this dream could imply. The dream could have a relation to the case he was working on. 'Worked on' he reminded himself since he was no longer on the case.

Kurama found it very strange that Koenma took him off the case. True, he had been zapped by the single most powerful source of miko ki existing but the cases that Koenma gave them seldom had no danger to his life. The spirit detectives had gone through missions that were far more dangerous and had been in worse shape.

He would work on this case independently he decided as he drifted into a dreamless sleep, starting with the shikon no tama.

Shippo leaned back on the tree he was sitting on as he watched the school girls walked out of the campus in groups. He was here to see one particular girl though. Kagome...

Kagome entered his line of sight dejected about a horrible math paper she had just written. He still remembered how much she complained about it in the past. He saw her mood change though as everyone celebrated the end of her exams. She looked happy.

He wanted to meet her once after being separated for so long.

He wanted to warn her of what would happen.

He wanted to hold her here and never let her go back. This would be the last time she would ever come back from the past after all.

He wanted... he wanted his mother back

But, he knew he could not stop her. He could not begin to imagine what consequence such an act would have. So, he held himself back and watched as his beloved mother walked to her curse.

Two days. Two days was all he had left with her.

Two days before the chaos begins.

Shippo noticed a guy of Kagome's age approach her. He seemed sweet enough, but judging by the forced smile on Kagome's face, I guessed this was Hojo, the guy Inuyasha had often complained about in the past. He moved closer to the group to listen in on them.

The guy, Hojo suggested going somewhere and the three girls with Kagome were convincing her to go.

"Guys, it's alright. We don't have to go." Kagome pleaded

"Please give it a chance Kagome, he's very good, I hear." the girl with the short hair exclaimed.

"It might help you. Don't give up Kagome-chan!" the girl with long her cried.

"Yea, Kagome. I think Hojo is right. You should give him a chance. You won't lose anything." the last girl tried to convince her.

"But, Yuka-" Kagome started but Hojo interrupted by taking her hands into his

"Kagome, I know you that you are brave and beautiful. You don't deserve to die. You cannot let a disease take away the glow I see in you! I will take you to the ends of the world, if that is what it takes to cure you! I will not take 'no' as an answer. You must come!" he declared. The three girls were cooing at the guy while Kagome's face twitched at the absurd, out of the blue declaration.

Shippo tried to control his laughter. Now, he understood how similar Hojo was to his ancestor and Kouga and also why Inuyasha got annoyed by this guy. He followed them as Hojo dragged Kagome along and she pleaded him to do otherwise.

He stopped short when he realized the destination, the hospital- the one in which Kurama resided in this very moment.

Shippo was torn now. There were so many possibilities if they met now. His wish to save his mother might come true or throw the past into an irrevocable chaos if he messed with the wrong things at the wrong time. "Stay away from her. Don't let her see you. Hide your youki. Give her no clue about your existence." He promised he would do all this and he could not break it. This was not his fault at all though. It was her friends who dragged her to the hospital.

Deciding to pay a visit to a certain person as a cover and a way to ensure the two won't meet, he headed to the floor he knew Kurama was careful in reigning in his youki and knocked on Kurama's door.

The door opened and a teenage boy opened it. Shippo raised his eyebrows at the pacifier in his mouth and jr tattooed on his forehead.

"Can I help you?"

Shippo smirked at the act the young spirit ruler was putting up. "I'm a classmate of Shuichi. My name is Shippo. I was the one who found him and called the medics. I came here to see how he is doing."

"Ah! Come in, come in. My name is Koenma." he said doing his best to hide his reaction.

Kurama was sitting on his bed and he could feel the anger radiating from him. It was obvious that he had interrupted an important conversation. Feigning innocence Shippo cheerfully enquired how he was doing. Shuichi replied like the gentleman he was and thanked him for helping him.

"It was no problem. I was in the cafeteria when I heard you shout suddenly. I did what any person would." Shippo reiterated the cover story perfectly.

Kurama nodded politely and thanked him again. There was no flaw in the story and it certainly made sense with the altered memory. Shippo was a good choice of cover because he was in the right place and circumstance to use him and Koenma's methods of covering up were flawless. So, why was Koenma so agitated in seeing the boy? It wasn't apparent to a normal person and many demons also. In fact, he almost missed it too if not for the fact that Koenma's cover story pawn came to the hospital in such an unexpected time. Surely, he would have expected the boy to come or alter things such that he would have not interrupted this talk. That is when he noticed the serious look on Koenma's face.

Koenma had a habit of behaving very carefree in front of normal humans, to the and though the previous conversation they had was not on the best of terms, Koenma was good at covering up and should have had no trouble slipping into a casual persona.

The visit was short and uneventful. After giving Shuichi the notes he had brought, Shippo left the hospital claiming he had to get back. Shuichi was secretly thankful for Shippo's visit as it gave him a clue. He had known since the introduction class that Shippo's surname was somehow significant to him. Now, it gave him more of a reason to find out the significance.

As soon as Shippo left, Kurama let his anger re-surface.

"Why did you pull me off this case Koenma?"

"Understand Kurama that this is a decision I made for your health. I cannot lose another detective when there may be more pressing situations. I will let you into the case again, but only after I make sure you are fit for what is to come."

"What is to come, Koenma?" Kurama asked in a cold voice.

"The merging of the makai and ningenkai, if the barrier falls that is what will happen. The unprepared humans will fall prey to their worst nightmares. The balance that has been kept for so long will tip and peace will be lost- I should leave now. Shiori will be back soon." The answer he was received was more honest than what he expected.

Koenma hurried to the roof where Shippo was. Koenma never wanted those demons involved in this case but he couldn't ignore them either. Since they were all involved with the creation of the barrier, he couldn't keep them in the makai. They were able to move through the worlds without anytrouble. His father King Enma had grudgingly agreed to a truce and let them stay in the ningenkai for the past 500 years. Surprisingly, the demons had not given them too much trouble, until now that is.

"Why are you here? You know the consequences of your presence."

"Yes, I do. That is why I haven't revealed anything to either of them."

"Either?" Koenma trailed off uncertainly. "You mean- She is here?"

"Yes, in this very hospital right now. I will not let Kurama know anything, but if he asks the right questions, I will answer him. It is why I'm here. You and I want different things and I will go to any lengths to get it."

"We'll stop you. Whatever the cost, I cannot let it happen."

"You are a fool to think that you can ever stop it Koenma. You know as well as I that it is inevitable."

"I have confidence in my people. They can stop it"

"Is that why you sent him on the mission? Hoping that he would unknowingly help you? That, if he believes your half-truths, you can use him stop it?" Koenma didn't reply, but there was no need to. "You better hope that you and your father fail, Koenma. You have no idea who you are dealing with."

"I cannot afford to fail either. It is because I know who we are dealing with that I have to succeed."

Shippo looked back at Koenma for a few seconds before saying, "I must go to her now." Koenma nodded in understanding and left to the spirit world as Shippo jumped off the terrace.

Cracks covered the ground around the light as a huge crater was formed around the light. There was no presence of any youkai there.

Yusuke and Kuwabara scoured the entire place for Hiei or any other youkai that survived whatever happened here. The spirit world only saw a white light encompass the entire area leaving nothing but the cracks in the ground. A part of them wondered if they lost their friend and partner; another part held on to a stubborn belief that he could get out of any situation. Neither knew what to believe.

For miles, all the structures were reduced to nothing but rubble. Hundreds of youkai must have been killed in that one instance. Even the bodies of the youkai that they had killed earlier were turned to dust. After hours of searching fruitlessly for any sign of life, they stopped to decide what to do next.

How do you fight an enemy who is a pillar of light? What could you possibly do when the invisible enemy could wipe the existence of so many?

Just as they were about to start anew, a youkai came running towards them.

A low level oni who seemed frightened of something.

Yusuke caught the runaway and questioned him.

"Let me go! Please! Before the demon from the light finds me." the oni all but begged.

"Demon from the light? You saw what happened?" Yusuke asked holding the youkai tighter.

"No, no, no... I didn't see anything. I swear! I was miles away. We saw the light and got curious. All the spirit detectives were here apparently. A few youkai told that they died! They were near the light, they all died!" the youkai looked quite happy at that. Kuwabara almost interrupted to tell that they were alive but Yusuke stopped him with a glare."

"So, what happened? Where are the others?"

The youkai seemed scared again... "Dead... A youkai stopped us on the way here. A youkai from the other side-urghhhhh" The youkai burned alive as flames erupted from thin air.

The detectives were on guard now...

"Show yourself!" Kuwabara shouted pointing in some direction.

"A human and a half demon in the midst of the makai... I must have finally found the right ones." A youkai came walking casually towards them.

"Who are you?" Yusuke asked warily. The youkai was beautiful but was caked in blood, most likely belonging to the youkai she killed.

"Doesn't matter... I have a message for the spirit ruler though. 'Let the makai fall if he knows what's good for him'"

"I'm afraid, we can't let that happen." Yusuke said in a cold voice.

"Then, I'll have to deliver the message with your corpses" She said getting into a stance. Yusuke and Kuwabara did the same.

"Try us"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Yusuke and Kuwabara took up a battle stance as the youkai deliberately walked in a circle. In the reddish hue of the makai sky, she looked every bit a battle-hardened figure. The unknown youkai wore a battered armor that looked like it hadn't been repaired in years. Dark, dried blood caked her clothes and weapon, a sword. Cream blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail and her face seemed set in stone, cold, hard and unreadable.

Yusuke made the first move as he charged forward to land a punch. He cartwheeled to avoid her sword. Taking advantage of the moment, Kuwabara too joined the battle with his spirit sword. The swords met with a blast of ki. Yusuke swung his leg to kick her middle but she was fast enough jump backwards letting go of the sword-lock. She jumped back a few more times as Yusuke continued an onslaught of kicks and punches. Cracks formed where Yusuke's hits landed. All three fighters looked as if they hadn't broken a sweat.

The two spirit detectives gave the youkai no break as they alternated their attacks. She was able to keep up with the speed of both and vary her fighting style to hold her own against the varied styles that both used. The three of them faded into blurs as the fight moved at a pace no untrained eye could follow.

The youkai took an opening and swung her sword horizontally creating a ring of flames forcing the two to move back. Her sword glowed with a deep red hue even from the distance they stood at. She smirked at them as the fire died out.  
>"Where is Hiei?" Yusuke questioned her.<p>

"If he was any youkai who had the bad luck of crossing me, then he must be lying dead among the vermin near the light."

"There is no way Hiei would to lose to someone at your level. He has mastered even the blackest flames of the makai." Kuwabara defended the youkai

"The black flames huh? Not bad… but if you think those are the strongest flames, you are wrong. Then again, you humans aren't even worthy to witness it. I tire of your delaying. Finish this quickly so that King Enma knows what he is against."

"King Enma? He isn't even the ruler of the reikai anymore. Who the hell are you lady?"

"No longer the ruler, huh? 500 years have changed this world a lot more than I thought. No matter, call your ruler here before it is too late for you."

"Who are you, demanding like a god-damned princess?" Kuwabara retorted.

"Hn. Guess you are as dumb as you like. I am the princess of the Kitsune. I am Youko Kaia."

"Youko? Are you related to Kurama by any chance?" Yusuke asked stopping his attack.

"How dare you speak my brother's name so casually? I should kill you for that insolence." she countered taking advantage of the break.

"You have got to be kidding me. You are Kurama's sister? I didn't know that bastard even had a family." The next second Kuwabara was thrown against a boulder with a sword close to his neck blocked by his own.

"Don't you dare speak a word against my brother; where is he?" They glared for a few moments before Yusuke decided to cool things and set things straight.

"Lady, you better cool down before you get yourself into something you regret. Kuwabara, we should get this cleared by Koenma first." He got his communicator out and called Botan. "Botan- Yes yes, we are alright- No, we haven't- Yes, we- Damn it! Just listen for a sec! ... Better. Get me on the line with the toddler ASAP. We have run into a small complication- good, if he's with Kurama. This involves him too."

Botan was in the spirit world ferrying souls when Yusuke called her. Lord Koenma had ordered her to return to her regular duties. She wondered what could have been so important that Yusuke wanted to talk to Koenma. She quickly connected the lines such that Koenma could talk to Yusuke directly.

-  
>Koenma stood on the terrace of the hospital when Yusuke's call reached him.<p>

"Yo toddler! There's a slight problem"

"Yusuke. What happened?"

"Youko's sister? That's impossible! His family- Oh no! Yusuke, where are you right now? I'll get Botan to get you all. Don't let her out of your sight."

Koenma hurried to where Shippo went. He found the fox in moments.

"My detectives found Kaia."

"Kaia? She's alive? That means she- she's from the other side of the light!"

"Yes" Koenma breathed out. "Kurama cannot find out about her. He hasn't regained his memories yet and Kagome is still in the future. If he finds out about Kagome, the barrier may never be formed."

Shippo glared at the young spirit ruler. "So, you are still trying to sacrifice these lives for the sake of the rekai's benefit."

"It is not for the benefit of reikai that I'm asking you this. The consequences of this time warp influence all three worlds. Youko is not strong enough to break the curse yet."

"The curse has not even been cast in the past. Isn't prevention better than cure?" Shippo mocked Koenma's logic.

"What do you want to do? Keep them apart in the past? Do you think you can defeat Naraku with your band of fighters? Youko of the past will not listen to your side as he is now. He will pursue Kagome for the rest of the jewel. He has no other choice."

"That is not true. Over the years I have thought of hundreds of possibilities. I want to save my mother, Koenma. She means the world to me."

"I'm sorry, Shippo. We cannot alter the timeline. We have discussed this already."

"Then, at least give her a chance, Koenma. It's the least this world can give her after all the things she sacrificed."

As both men looked at Kagome softly chatting in the waiting room, in their own way both regretted not being able to stop what was going to happen.

Sighing, Koenma admitted... "I need your help."


End file.
